Good News from Labor and Industries for Employers of LMPs

Light-Duty Jobs Keep Injured Workers and Workers’ Comp Costs Healthier

Stay At Work: A win-win for injured workers and employers.

Attention business owners!

What do you do when an employee gets hurt? How do you support them while managing costs?

Workplace injuries top the list of issues faced by most employers.

How would you like to create a win/win for both your business and your injured worker? You can do just that by creating a doctor-approved transitional light duty job if your worker is unable to immediately return to their regular job.

Why? Studies show that workers heal faster. That’s a win for the employee. Employees who heal faster tend to have less expensive claims and are able to return to their regular jobs faster. That’s a win for the employer.

Here’s an added employer benefit – the Washington Stay At Work (WSAW) Program can reimburse you for a significant part of the costs during that light-duty assignment!

The Stay At Work Program can reimburse:

50% of the base wages you pay to the injured worker, up to $10,000 or 66 days.
Some of the cost of training, tools or clothing the worker needs to do the light-duty or transitional work (up to $2,500 for equipment; $1,000 for training; and $400 for clothing per claim).

To date, Labor & Industries has reimbursed over $25 Million to keep over 10,000 workers on light duty and receiving wages.

As this program gets injured workers back to work sooner and provides financial incentives to the employer for doing so, it is truly a win-win for all.

Information and forms regarding the Stay at Work Program are also available on our website.